The Edge of Hope: A Sequel
by Goldielochs
Summary: THIS IS A SEQUEL. PLEASE READ THE EDGE OF TRUTH BEFORE READING. Bella pulls Edward deeper into her world when she realizes she can't do it alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer.  
**

 **IF YOU HAVEN'T READ "THE EDGE OF TRUTH" STOP. GO BACK. DO NOT COLLECT 200 DOLLARS. NONE OF THIS WILL MAKE SENSE AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO JUST "CATCH UP" AND YOU'RE ENJOYMENT OF THIS STORY WILL BE LOW.**

If you have read "The Edge of Truth" WELCOME! You asked for it. So here it is!

This first chapter, I've teased at the end of "Edge of Truth" but the beginning is new and I've gone through and amped up the rest a little bit, but no dramatic changes. Thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy. Stay tuned for more.

* * *

 **The Edge of Hope**

Chapter 1: The Thing with Feathers

* * *

 _A LONG TIME AGO_

She watched him from the water. Her eyes just barely peering over the surface of the peaceful tide. He always came out here alone around this time. It began to be her favorite part of the day. She had made up several stories as to why he came. Each one growing more fantastical and absurd. He untied the canoe and and ran with it off into the water before hopping in and cutting into the water with a long paddle. The canoe glided beautifully across the surface. She'd seen the men in the daylight using these small water vessels to fish, but that's not what he was doing.

She dipped back under the water when he drew close and then began to follow him below to his destination. Each night she grew braver and braver, getting closer to the man but always being careful to stay out of sight.

Though she knew where he was going, tonight she was content to swim behind him, just to make sure he got there safely. A few minutes later he pulled himself into a shallow cave, dug out from the face of the cliff. He paddled inside for a bit until the rocks got too sharp and the water got too low. Like he had done a dozen times before, he pulled himself out of the canoe and up onto a ledge that jutted out. He operated in complete darkness, but he knew the cave like the back of his hand. From his pouch, he pulled a sharpened rock and began digging into the walls of the cave. Feeling with his other hand where he had left off the night before.

In the safety of the shadows, she watched him do this work and wondered what he was marking into the wall, and why he did so every night. It could have been hours or minutes he kneeled by the wall, only accompanied by his grunts of effort and the scrapping sound of the rock digging into other rock. She wasn't sure how much time had past, that was an invention the humans used to create order to their day. She had little use for it.

When he left, the stone in his hand was worn down so small that it was barely larger than a pebble. Like clockwork, she predicted his movements of his departure except for one. He left something on the ledge. He'd never done that before. Once he had left the mouth of the cave and paddled back to shore, she scurried over to the ledge to examine what the man had left behind.

In her hand she whispered fire to life and held it like one would an apple. With it, she illuminated the walls. Each night, he etched part of the picture. The segment he had been working on, was one he laboured on for over a week.. Surely, his longest endeavor. She studied it now, holding the fire close to her face and leaning in. Her other hand scouring across the surface, feeling the indentations made. Swirling lines like snakes flared out around a single point, their tails connected to an oblong shape. A face. Long marks were coming off of the body like waves of light.

Understanding dawned on her now and she nearly extinguished her flame with surprise. All this time, the man with his crude instruments had been drawing . . . her. It was her likeness etched forever on the darkened cave walls. She was the object of his nightly obsession. Beneath the carving he placed a cooked fish wrapped in bark. The aroma was sweet and nutty. He gave it to her as an offering. He did all this for her.

* * *

 _Present_

"Almost there." Bella breathed through her teeth. She climbed up the tree one limb after the other. Sap brushed onto her palms and then smeared across the bark on the next branch as she moved higher and higher. She was almost to the top now. The limbs, empty of leaves, swayed in the wind unsturdy. She would have to jump to reach the top and grab hold of the dwindling trunk. Bella crouched, getting ready to spring up. Her toes curled for better leverage. Focusing before the jump, she inhaled the crisp air and watched as the sun sank slowly into a pink horizon. She flicked her wrist. The gold watch read half past seven.

"You're late." A figure swung back upside down, balanced by her legs wrapped around the branch above Bella, bat style. Long red hair sweeped the limbs below.

Bella smirked. "Nice to see you in human form again, Tessa."

"Nice?" Tessa barked. "Yeah. Nice. I haven't gotten used to these arms. Just look at 'em." The young woman flailed her elbows out into the air. "They're useless. Can't fly. Can't stick to walls. Can't stab or crush things on their own. Humans are so strange. I've been watching them for two hundred years and I still don't understand how they've survived so long. I just don't get it." She eyed Bella lazily. "I like what you've done to your hair. You look nice, I guess. For a humanoid," She added. "Are you going somewhere?" Tessa untucked her legs and flipped upside down, landing lightly next to Bella.

"Thanks. I have a hot date." Bella tucked her hair behind her ear, forgetting Alice placed a flower there. "So I need to make this quick." She leaned carefully against the tree trunk. "The chain reaction was already set off when I got here. I didn't do it. I was already too late."

"You were distracted." Tessa accused.

"Distracted? There wasn't anything I could have done. If I followed mom's advice the situation would be much worse. I had to change my plan. I thought I had a few years to control it, but it was out of my hands already. Do you know the exact numbers? I've only counted two."

"Yes, I've been following them. Only two for now, but since the chain has started, more will join them. Filthy inbreds." Tessa scowled. "This isn't good." She crossed her arms and sighed.

"You need to be careful. They're onto me." Bella warned.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm quite the shadow." Tessa smiled.

"Good."

"But If you didn't ignite their formation, who did?"

Bella smirked. "Their natural enemies. Come on, Tess. You've been my eyes this whole time. You know that." Bella stretched her arms out. The last rays of the sun shimmered on her skin.

Tessa's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you can trust them? You know what happened with Maddi-"

"It's not like that. For god sake's look at me. Feel me." She offered her bare arm to Tessa for her to touch and see.

"You're young." Tessa grimaced. "You don't know what we've been through."

"And yet you have me fighting your wars." Bella scoffed.

"This isn't war. It's retribution. And no one said you have to do this on your own."

Bella was about to make a comeback but her phone started ringing. Ed Sheeran's latest single vibrated from her chest.

"What the hell is that?" Tessa sneered as Bella pulled her phone out of her bra.

"You've spent too much time in feathers." Bella rolled her eyes then motioned for Tessa to leave.

"This isn't over. I'll see you around." Tessa muttered before elegantly jumping from the tree. The wind whooshed around her as she fell. Right before she hit the ground, a black cloud surrounded her. When the smog dissipated, Tessa was gone.

"Hey." Bella hit the green button.

"Where did you run off to?" Edward's bell like voice greeted on the other line. Bella couldn't help the smile creep up on her face.

"Why don't you come find me?" She teased.

"Is this another one of your games?"

"Do you want to play?"

"I'd rather take my girlfriend to prom." Edward said. "You know what time it is, right?"

"Oh, is that tonight? Darn. I forgot."

"Bella." Edward sighed. She could almost hear him raise a single eyebrow at her.

"I'm kidding." Bella rolled her eyes. "I'll be waiting for you to pick me up. I'm the girl in the tall tree with the long satin gow-." She screamed.

Edward jumped right in front of her and placed a hand on her mouth to stop the high pitched yelp. His feet landed lightly between hers. His chest was right in front of her face. With the hand not holding the phone up to his ear, he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. "Gotcha." Edward laughed. She heard him from himself and the phone still pressed against her ear.

"Holy crow." Bella breathed. "You scared the crap out of me."

Edward put his phone in his pocket and held her closer to him.

"How did you. . . when did you . . ." Bella stuttered, still trying to catch her breath.

"You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeves." Edward smirked. "Magician's secret." He booped her nose gently. "But you." He leaned back precariously over the edge of the branch just to have a better look at Bella. "You are magnificent. Absolutely gorgeous." His eyes roamed greedily over her. She wore a blue lace bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The black satin skirt would flare out, embroidered with colorful poppies, but at the moment she had it pinned up so she could climb without it getting in the way or dirty.

"Thanks." She grumbled. "The best part about this dress is the pockets."

"I think the best part of the dress is what's inside it." He put his hands on her waist and kissed her shoulder.

"You'd like it better if it was on the floor." Bella raised her eyebrows.

Edward blinked, completely at a loss for words. "Well, er. I didn't mean, I-"

Bella smirked victoriously. "We going to prom or what?" She leaned back away from Edward. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" Bella launched herself from the tree.

They ran to the perimeter of the school. Edward stayed back to keep pace with Bella. She was fast, faster than a human, but even if she was cut from the same cloth now as Edward, he would always be uncatchable.

On the outer perimeter of the school, she straightened his bowtie and patted his tux. A faint blush colored her cheeks. "You're very handsome." She said it like an objectively fact.

Edward had a strange look in his eye as he gazed back down at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Bella breathed then stepped towards the sidewalk. "Shit, I forgot my shoes." Bella sighed while she untucked her skirt and puffed it out around her waist. "Well, this is going to be awkward."

"I got you." Edward swooped her into his arms and carried her to the entrance.

"Perfect. Definitely going to be less weird to have you carry me everywhere."

"It's tradition at this point." Edward grinned.

Everyone stared as he handed in their tickets to the school volunteers. "Good evening." Bella waved at them, secretly loving how the "normies" as Bella likes to call them tried to pretend that their behavior wasn't out of the ordinary. Bella loved it when they did that. Their need for the conventional was something Bella liked to play with. How far would they go to preserve their sense of reality and ignore the unusual. The good people of Forks were in no short supply of the unusual. Yet still, the normies looked the other way.

However, no one ever stopped looking at them. Even the prom photographer stared mouth opened at the picture he took of them. Instantly he thought that his prowess of photography had finally paid off, to be able to capture such beauty. He almost stopped them as they left to enter the gymnasium and asked if they would model for him but Edward threw one glance his way and raised his lips to reveal the sharp teeth behind them. A shiver went down the photographers spine and suddenly he was too afraid to ask. Still, he dreamed what sort of awards he would have gotten if he could get them in front of his camera again.

"Would you like to dance?" Edward beamed at Bella who was watching Jessica and Mike fight over by the punch bowl.

"Do with me as you wish." Bella snapped her head back to Edward, then clasped her hands around his, tethering herself to him. "I am yours this evening." She breathed onto his neck and roamed her nose up and down his throat. There was nothing advertently explicit in the movement, but to anyone that might have watched, it would have seemed nearly indecent. Edward breathed heavily, then raised Bella up with one hand on her waist, dangling her off the floor with ease, then placing her back so her feet were balanced on his shoe laces. Bella stood on his feet while the music swayed through them. The other kids moved out of their way on the dance floor, as if they were spraying water on all who dared to get too close. The music playing was uptempo, a dance that the high schoolers around them jerked to, but Edward danced slowly with Bella. Like he was listening to a waltz no one else could hear. A song that no one else could take part of. A world that belonged to them and them alone.

"Okay. You win." Bella sighed and leaned into his chest. "This is actually kind of nice."

He hummed in response. They kept dancing until the cast of students around them had completely changed out.

"Are you hungry?" Edward asked, remembering.

Bella glanced over at the refreshment table that Edward was already twirling them towards. She picked up a finger sandwich duly, eyeing it with disdain. "No. I'm not hungry." She finally said while tossing it into the trashcan. Her stomach rumbled betraying her statement.

"Bella, you need to eat. You didn't have anything yesterday either." Worry colored his voice.

She shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know. Just, don't want anything." She wouldn't admit it, but she was starving. Though every time she tried to nibble on something, she ended up puking it back up. She was trying to figure out a way to get away from the subject so Edward would stop worrying about it, but someone seemed to have just the right timing.

"Ah, someone is here to see you." Edward grumbled.

Bella turned to see Jacob walk around the corner. He was wearing a wrinkled suit jacket with a black tie that wasn't on right.

"Jacob?" Bella's eyes furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

He stood awkwardly in front of them, his eyes going back and forth between Bella and Edward.

"I planned to say mind of I cut in, but you're not dancing. And if I just said that now, you might think I would trying to go for some punch, but really I just would like to talk to you." Jacob mumbled.

"I'll be outside." Edward bent down and kissed Bella on her head.

"Soooooo, what's up." Bella crossed her arms uncomfortably when Edward left the room.

"My dad, well, he paid me to come."

"Nice. Paid to crash a party by your parents. That's the way to hustle." She smiled warmly, but it didn't meet her eyes.

"He wanted me to tell you." He stopped and shook his head. "He wanted me to say. Ugh, this is so stupid. I'm sorry. I hate this. I wouldn't have come, but I do kind of need the twenty dollars. This is such bullcrap though."

Bella shrugged. "So just say it, and then you get that $20 dollars."

"I just. Bella. I-." Jacob was practically trembling.

"Let me guess. He wanted you to try to convince me to stop seeing Edward. Or whatever."

Jacob shook his head. "Not. . . not quite." He bit his lip.

"Oh. Um, okay. Well just get out with it." Bella stood back.

"He say's you're not allowed to step foot in La Push ever again. He says you're part of the treaty. And he says you'll know what that means. Or whatever. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He sounded really serious. I don't really know what he's getting at. I mean, you're Bella. You're Bella Swan. You've done nothing wrong. But as the tribal leader. . ." Jacob breathed uncomfortably. "He's banishing you."

Bella nodded slowly digesting the information. "Wow. Huh. Weird." She took a deep breath. Then finally said, "It's okay, Jacob."

"He's a crack job. Honestly. All the elders are. They're power hungry and stupid. But that means. . . that you can't come over anymore." He sighed.

"Ooor." Bella smiled a wide and true smile. Her eyes crinkled and her cheeks raised. "That means you'll have to visit more often."

"Really?" Jacob swallowed. "You still want to hang out with me, even though my family is psycho?"

"Every family has their downfalls." Bella shrugged. "You're like a brother to me, Jacob. And family always finds a way to stick together."

He frowned slightly but ultimately decided any time with Bella was good.

"Maybe my dad will come to his senses." He sighed.

"At least you got twenty dollars out of this." She laughed.

"I'm really sorry. But there's always hope for tomorrow."

Bella tapped her finger to her chin. "My mother always said, 'Hope is the thing with feathers.'" She stared at her hands and then at the watch on her wrist. "Thanks for being the messenger, I hope he pays you well for further secret notices." Bella laughed. "Well, I better go check on Edward. He's not a crowds person and I'm sure he's having to swat some wall flowers away. I'm sorry your dad put you up to this." She patted Jake's arm. They made plans to watch a movie sometime later.

She turned on her heels and barreled out the gym door. Erik and Angela were pushed out of the way as she went. Grass slipped in between her toes and she could feel the soft earth squish around her bare feet. She plucked her phone from her bra and angrily keyed in the number she never thought she would have to call. Edward was at her side in a moment, easily keeping pace. "What's wrong? Who are you calling?"

"There's been another change of plans." She said while the phone rang. "I'm assembling the sisters."

* * *

 **AN: I'm very excited to go on another adventure with you all. As always, I'd love your feedback, what you hope to read in coming chapters, questions, theories, etc etc. I'm listening! Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Hope**

Chapter 2: Daughters

* * *

A LONG TIME AGO

* * *

He got out of the canoe and felt along the edges of the slippery cavern. He carefully found his footing until he reached the large rock jutting out from the wall. Several moons had faded into the empty sky and then from the void, birthed a new. The winds were colder now and carried with them the bite of winter. He and his brothers had just come back from their annual hunt, to sustain them through the desperate season. Their long journey to the plains and back cost more than what they were able to bring back. One of his men had died, killed by the wild boar they were tracking. Their findings were meager and their journey home took longer than normal because they ran out of provisions and had to hunt for their day's energy.

His body, weary, he leaned his head on the wall, letting the cool damp soothe him. He dragged a bandaged hand across the wall, following the familiar patterns that he had etched into them. Just as much as his dwelling on the mainland, this too, felt like home. He was glad to be back, though he hoped he wasn't too late. He hoped that she had not abandoned him yet.

He leaned back, then he felt something in the wall that was a stranger to him. After so many hours of blood and sweat going into his work, he knew the shrine he made like the back of his hand. But this-the lines that his fingers now followed were foreign. His hands did not toil over this. His sweat didn't help to make this new addition. He got on his knees to more thoroughly investigate. He gasped at the intricacy. Every line was smooth and consistent, taking shapes he didn't dream of making with his little rock of a chisel. The carved goddess was now outlined in a circle of branches and trees, each so detailed he felt ashamed of his attempt. He thought that perhaps one of the villagers had followed him and was making fun of his feeble attempts. Anger and humiliation began to form in his chest. Perhaps he was a fool like he heard his family whisper about.

He felt for his goddess again, wondering if this time, instead of a homecoming, he would feel some type of betrayal in his own handiwork. But he only grew more sure of himself.

And then, besides his etching of the goddess, he felt another strange carving. He felt what had to be a head and then perhaps a torso and arm. The detailing was so much more ornate and obvious. He could even tell that in the left hand, was a fish.

He blinked, though he couldn't see in the darkness.

From his pouch he pulled out the fish he had caught earlier for this occasion. He had secretly wrapped it and fried it while the others weren't looking. If they knew, they would reprimand him for his wastefulness.

The carving of himself. Next to the carving of the goddess. He felt once more and in the other hand of his likeness, was hers.

In surprise, he dropped the wrapped fish. It made a soft patting sound as it hit the rock he kneeled on. When he reached down to pick it back up, he didn't touch the filmy leaves wrapping the fish. He hit rock. He searched for it with one hand absentmindedly until he heard a crunching sound, followed by the sound of meat being separated and then chewed. He froze, but he suddenly didn't feel cold anymore. There was a warmth emanating from his side that took away the winter's bite from the wind.

Finally, after what felt like hours, though only a few seconds had gone by, she wiped her mouth and whispered "You came back to me."

* * *

Present

* * *

Bella perused through Alice's closet. Violently, her hands shoved the coat hangers one by one as she sorted through them.

"What's the occasion?" Alice put her finger to her mouth, a little upset by the way Bella was manhandling her clothes and frustrated that she wasn't finding anything.

"Family reunion." Bella sighed and Alice's eyes narrowed.

"Charlie's?" Alice guessed.

"No." Bella answered curtly.

"So your. . ." Alice trailed off. "Your. . ." She continued with Bella didn't supply the second half the the sentence. "Mom?"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe." She frowned and then pulled something off the rack, a brown cotton dress with beige designs. She held it up to her body, then ultimately put it back on the rack and continued forward the the seemingly endless closet of clothes.

"What sort of attitude are you trying to convey?" Alice asked. "Friendly? Hospitable and approachable?" Alice wasn't the only one that noticed since Bella's transmutation, that her normal human classmates had begun to be subconsciously fearful of her as they are to the rest of the Cullens.

Bella shook her head. "That's too nice. I don't want to be nice. I want to look formidable. Bad ass."

"You are badass." Alice smirked and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Right. So I need to wear something to accentuate that."

"Hmm." Alice hummed and flickered around Bella like a dainty ballerina. She spun in the air as she leapt to grab something on the high rack. "I've never worn it. Is this sort of the look you're going for?"

Bella beamed. "Perfect."

Bella climbed into the passenger seat of Edward's car. She checked herself in the mirror and for the second time that day taken aback from her appearance. This was the new normal now. Glassy like features that looked as beautiful as porcelain but stronger than diamond. All the beauty bloggers in the world were trying to get that perfect highlight, which she achieved naturally in the sun. A more subtle skin shimmer than her boyfriend.

Edward bounded into the driver's seat, his smile creeping up one side of his face. He eyed Bella hungrily and his smile burst out the other corner. "Going to a funeral, Ms?" He teased.

"Actually yes." Bella smirked back. Edward shifted the car into reverse and swirled out of the garage.

"Oh, really? Someone close?"

"Very close." Bella nodded. "My boyfriend, actually."

Edward fake gasped. "That's so horrible."

"Tragic." Bella murmured. "Killed in a car accident."

Edward held in a chuckle. "You don't say."

"Mhm."

"What happened?"

"Couldn't stop staring at his girl's boobs long enough to keep his eyes on the road."

"Well. That's a good way to go." Edward shrugged, then made it a point to obnoxiously stare with wide eyes at Bella's chest. He let his left hand turn the wheel, sending the car careening to the side.

She laughed and threw a hand at Edward to turn him away. He righted their path on the road.

"Sorry." He crinkled his nose and eyes in an awkwardly adorable apology.

"Don't be. I like the attention. I like tempting you out of your good behaviour."

"You're dangerous." Edward sighed, but his velvet voice caressed around the words deliciously. Bella leaned into the side of his face with her nose and breathed along the side of his neck. "And you. . ." She whispered. "Should wear a seatbelt."

The both cackled at the joke, but before Bella could lean back into her own set, Edward pulled her closer and kissed her, parting her lips open urgently. She smiled into him and let his tongue dig until it found hers. Then too soon he let go. "I'll put mine on, if you put yours on." He panted, somehow short of breath.

"Mmm." She hummed. "How about, I put mine on yours." Suddenly she was in his lap, her legs straddling him, in the small space of the car.

"Something tells me you're not talking about seat belts." Edward grinned.

"Something tells me you're right." Bella kissed down Edward's throat and began to undo the buttons of his shirt. He growled softly, not in a way to deter her, but in approval, in pleasure. Edward kept both hands on the steering wheel, but it became apparent that he wished they were placed elsewhere on her body. Bella slowly came back up his chest, licked along the decorative veins in his neck, and found Edward's lips again. Then Bella's hands started to trail down from his shoulders, down past his pecs, creeping towards the top of his pants. Before she could get halfway, Edward sighed and grabbed her wrists.

"What?" Bella popped her eyes open innocently.

Edward rolled his eyes. "We're here."

"Oh." Bella sat up and shimmied over to the passenger seat again. "That was fast."

"Cursed by speed." Edward shrugged.

"You should really learn how to slow down."

"Maybe you can teach me." He grinned and leaned towards her seductively. Bella let him drag his nose along her hairline, his movements were painfully and directively slow, then giddily she whipped her head around and playfully bit his nose.

"Gotcha. Let's go." She chirped and hopped out of the vehicle.

As he watched Bella get out of the car and walk towards the field, Edward held a hand up to his nose and rubbed it. "Ouch." He muttered under his breath. It stung a little, so Edward made mental note to at some point to compare their teeth. Everyday, it seemed like there was more to Bella to learn about. It always surprised him, no matter how often it happened, that there were parts of him now reflected in her. She was somehow a soft copy of a vampire, though blood of her father still ran through her. . . and something else that kept it all together. That third thing, Edward knew nothing about other than what Bella had told him that fateful night when the three day storm had lifted. When he stepped out of the car, and walked towards Bella, he grinned. Whatever type of creature Bella was, or is, or will be, he would always love her the same way.

"So, what now?" Edward asked as he leaned against the the hood of the car with Bella.

Bella bit her lip then pulled her small designer back pack around to grab something from the top. She pulled out large pocket knife. Edward eyed her curiously. After flipping it open, Bella sauntered over to the tree line. She began carving into the surface of the wood. Diagonal lines connected to five corned shapes. She made the same design in the tree next to it. Then she pulled her hand up to her mouth. She she pulled her hand away, a small fire danced along her finger tips. She traced the lines in the wood with her flaming finger, singeing the wood as she went. As she walked back to the car, she shook he hand out, and the flame extinguished. Edward was careful to hide his shocked feelings, arranging his features into a calm "nothing to see hear" expression.

"Now we wait." Bella jumped up on the hood and set her feet on the bumper.

It was quiet. Eerily quiet. Not a bird in the sky or forest made a sound. No crickets chirped, no bugs buzzed. Even the wind had stopped whistling. Edward even fell quiet, forgetting to breath. Bella leaned back, and looked at the way the dying sun overhead affected the red in Edward's hair.

"Should I be nervous?" Edward finally spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"Are you?"

"I think, perhaps. I am. I just don't know what to expect."

"It's selfish, I suppose." Bella mumbled and fiddled with her own hand. "You don't have to be here."

"I want to."

"I want you to stay too." She smiled coyly. Edward wrapped his hand around both of hers.

"Whatever happens. We do it together. Promise?" Edward looked up from his eyelashes, creating his own kind of spell.

"Promise." Bella replied sadly. Before Edward could lean in for a small sincere kiss, the sound of lightning exploded behind him. Edward jumped and turned. In the tree line, a football field away, black embers floated towards the sky. The sound of a raging sparking fire rang through the quiet, ripping through the air. But he couldn't see the flame. Then, he couldn't see anything.

Then he perceived movement, and slowly color drained back into his sight. He blinked and from the treeline, a large black cat stalked through the high grass of the field. Then a woman stepped out from the tree that Bella marked. Her hair was long, reaching down past her navel, the color of corn silk, a sickly off colored white, and straight as a needle. Two more women appeared on either side of her. One with full red hair that curled at the ends. The other had brown hair twisted up into milk maid braids. A crow landed on Edward's car. And soon the field was full of small to large creatures. A large misshapen bunny. Two cobras with flared angry heads had their tails twisting together. A sun bear, with the a white necklace of fur across her chest ambled through the field, paying no mind to the other animals around it, including the black peacock riding it's back.

Belled leaped from the car. And stood tall and firm. Her high waisted black skirt gently lifted with the gust of air coming from the treeline, exist eating her asymmetrical cropped top, that had straps wrapping around under her bust.

The crow on Edward's car flapped forward into the gust of air, and when it landed, Tessa's barefeet touched the ground. Bella made no move to greet Tessa, but they stood side by side as the creatures walked forward. The three women moved closer. When they were standing just a few feet away, the blonde one asked.

"Who called us, the daughters of the single mother?" Her voice was airy, but stern.

"I did." Bella answered.

"And who are you?" The redhead asked, her voice just as ethereal, and just as solemn. She blinked her eyes, but it wasn't a human blink. The sides came in stickily over her yellow eyes, that were trained on Bella, sizing her up.

"I am Isabella, the youngest sister, reborn of blood drinkers, daughter of Renata the destroyer, daughter of Marie, mother of all." As she spoke a blue light twirled around her figure then vanished into the air.

The redhead nodded, accepting this answer.

"Why have you called us?" The brunette in braids asked.

"I have called you, because, the sickness is growing." Bella answered, putting as much charisma into her words as she could.

There were mutters among the creatures. The two cobras hissed.

"I've seen it." Tessa backed Bella up. "I'm Tessa, reborn of crow, daughter of Renata the destroyer, Daughter of Marie, mother of all." She paused as the women accepted this introduction. "It's just a few now, but the reaction has already been set off."

The three sisters appraised Tessa then looked at one another.

"And who are you?" The women in braid's locked past Bella and Tessa to the young man by the car.

"This is Edward." Bella smiled, but didn't turn back to look at him. She kept her gaze on the three women. "Of ancient immortal blood drinkers, enemy of the werewolf-"

"You know the rules, young child." The blonde interrupted her. "No man-"

"-And keeper of my heart." Bella finished.

A hush fell over the field.

Bella turned back then and held out her hand. Edward carefully took it and stepped to her side.

All eyes were now on this new man creature and the hand holding one of their sisters. Bella could feel the jealousy rising from them.

"I was reborn from his venom. The vampires, as they call themselves, are virtually indestructible and immortal as we are."

"You are so young." The redheaded woman tisked. "You trust him with your many years?"

"Yes." Bella said without hesitation.

The sisters held back for a moment.

"Back to the matter at hand." Bella continued. "This is my burden set by my mother, for my shoulders to bare. But I need guidance. I've been kept from you, hidden by my mother, but I will not hide anymore."

The blonde tilted her head. "How can we help?"

Bella squeezed Edward's hand and a devious smirk spread across her lips.

* * *

1 Week Later

* * *

Bella hopped out of her truck and sloshed through the lazy rain. She entered into the little convenience store and slowly meandered through the selections of energy drinks. She heard rummaging in the employee area in back. Bella grabbed a drink from the cooler and stood by the register, waiting for the attendant to come back. There were old magazines on the counter. And a recent Seattle newspaper was perched on a stand. The headline read something about heat on the police commissioner to crack down on the recent string of disappearances. As she waited, she began to ring her hands around the bottle nervously. Then, not used to her new strength, she used too much pressure and the bottle exploded.

"Oh, hell." She muttered.

Just then the attendant walked from the back. "Oh, what happened?" A sweet voice asked.

Bella held her arms out, her new blouse soaking wet in blue PowerAde.

"I don't know. It just kind of busted." Bella sighed.

"Let me get paper towels." The young woman rushed off in the back again. When she emerged with the cleaning supplies, she kept her head down as she kneeled to the floor to wipe up the mess.

"Oh, hey. It's my fault, I guess. I can do that." Bella kneeled down and began helping her. She looked up at the girl, barely flinching at the long horrible scar ranging across her face and down her neck to her chest. The stitches were still in, giving her a ghastly appearance. The skin puckered and swelled along the black lines.

"I guess I don't know my own strength." Bella glanced down at the broken bottle in her hands. "I'm so sorry."

The young woman laughed. "It's alright. I'm used to it. My fiance has the same problem." She laughed and then went quiet again.

Bella smiled warmly. "I'm Bella."

"I know who you are. I'm Emily." The young woman tentatively reached a hand out and shook hers. She seemed slightly nervous, like she was doing something taboo.

Bella made sure to keep her hand partially covered by her overlong sweater sleeve. "It's nice to meet you, Emily."


End file.
